Forging a New Path
by The Cowgirl Bookworm
Summary: Maria isn't from Tulsa, doesn't want to be in Tulsa, and is stuck in Tulsa while some vampyres bicker about territory and precedence. So she settles in for the long haul, turning her attention to her classes and her hobby, blacksmithing. But with Zoey "Mary Sue" Redbird stalking the halls, how long can our responsible heroine last? Pretty damn long. Fix-it, parody fic.


I was waiting to check in at the airport when it happened.

I didn't know exactly what was going on, I couldn't hear his voice over the general chaos of the airport. All I managed to catch were the words _House of Night_, before I clutched at my forehead. My knees buckled, the pain too intense to stand through. It felt like a white hot drill going through my forehead.

Needless to say, there was quite a panic afterward.

A woman began screaming, airport employees rushed over, and the line around me suddenly backed off. A couple of helpful people helped me back to my feet, one of them introducing himself as the airport manager. I nodded, smiled, then coughed like I was going to hack a lung up. He quickly grabbed a luggage cart, swung my bags on it, and walked with me out to the departure area.

"I'm going to get a cab to take you to the House of Night here." He said, waving a taxi over.

"But I need to go home." I replied, rubbing at my head. "I don't live here."

The taxi stopped at the curb, the trunk popping open. The manager and driver quickly loaded my bags, settling them down. The manager came back over, handing me some money. "I know, but you need to get there or you'll die. Here, this should cover the fare."

And just like that, I was bundled into the cab and off to the Tulsa House of Night.

* * *

Of course I knew about the vampyres, everyone knew. My elementary school had even taken a field trip to the Phoenix House of Night. It was a massive adobe complex that butted right up against the mountain. The principal had been very nice, telling us that if we Changed it wasn't all bad. It had been a peaceful place, somewhere that I could see myself being. Local materials had been used in the construction and the furnishings were nice, but rather sparse. It felt like it belonged there, and it wasn't unusual to see a group of fledglings go to a movie or shopping at a mall.

Tulsa was different.

Their House of Night hunkered in its Gothic mass, set apart from the rest of the city. It was dark, brooding, far different than the rest of the city. The cab driver was nice enough to let me off outside the gates, but he wouldn't actually drive up to the building. I trudged up to the gate, looking for a speaker or something. I smiled when I found it, quickly pressing the button to buzz in.

"What do you want?" A voice crackled back at me, sounding rather bored.

I coughed. "I just got Marked. Can I come in?" In answer the wrought iron gates opened, just barely wide enough for me to get through. I trudged up the path, already feeling a little better. The gravel crunched, birds chirped happily, and coming towards me were three adult vampyres, two women and one man. The man carried a rapier, one woman wore riding boots, and the other walked as if she owned the world.

I stopped and stared.

"Merry meet fledgling." The over confident one said, "I am Neferet. High Priestess of this House of Night."

_High Priestess? Back home they were just principals, like any other._

"Uh, hi. My name's Maria." I replied, not offering my hand. This whole situation was strange and getting stranger. "I'm from Phoenix."

"Well you're here now." Neferet smiled.

"I can't go back home?"

"This is your home. This is your new life." Neferet gestured around us. I shifted uncomfortably on the gravel. All I wanted was to go home, see my parents, and then go back to the Phoenix House of Night. Neferet wasn't done though. "You will leave your old human life behind and become something greater here."

_Oh, we're going to be elitist._

To be fair, I may have gotten a little defensive. "No, I'm not. I'm going to stay here until I can arrange a flight back home with some adult vampyre so I don't die. I'm not leaving my old life."

Rapier chuckled at that, Riding Boots hiding a grin. Neferet whirled on them, "If you think it's so funny, you take her!" She stomped back up the path, leaving all of us behind.

Riding Boots smiled, "She gets a little angry, but don't bother her and you'll be fine. I'm Lenobia by the way, I was asked to be your mentor."

Rapier crossed his arms. "Dragon Lankford, swordsmanship instructor."

I couldn't help but light up at that. "Do you have a forge?"

"An old one, back away from the buildings."

I grinned, reaching back to fish around in my suitcase. I finally pulled out a large canvas toolbag, pulling my latest project out of it. It was a shining Damascus steel knife, the bade as long as my palm. I held it out to him hilt first, and he took it gently. He hefted it a few times, slicing at the air. "This is good work. You did it yourself?"

"Yep!"

"You can use the forge then, just make something for me." He replied, handing it back. He then turned to Lenobia. "Would you mind if I took her over?"

Lenobia shrugged, walking away into the woods. Dragon gestured for me to follow. He quickly explained the time change I'd have to go through, the classes I'd be taking, and gave a quick tour of the school. He took me to the dorms, gave me a room, and left me to settle in. I had no roommate, apparently she had died the week before. But the bed that was there was fitted with plain white sheets, a red comforter, and several fluffy pillows.

I ignored their siren call and pulled out my cell phone.

"Maria? Honey, aren't you on the plane?" My mother's voice sounded concerned, but firm.

"I'm not flying. I'm not coming back for awhile."

"Are you alright?" She immediately jumped on me before I could get a word in edgewise. "Nothing happened, right? You're safe?"

"I got Marked, Mom." I said simply. "In the airport, waiting in line."

"I knew you shouldn't have gone back to see Katelyn! I felt something was going to happen."

"Yeah but Mom, listen. I'm stuck at the Tulsa House, and they won't let me go home. Can you call the Phoenix one and see if the principal will talk to them?"

"They won't let you leave?"

"No, and they're really weird. This one lady kept calling herself the High Priestess, not the principal. It's like a theocracy back here."

"I'll call them first thing this evening. Now, do you want to tell your Dad, or should I?" She asked, her voice measured and calm. The question of who got to tell me Father was one that was usually saved for when I got a C on a test.

"Can you? I just want to sleep."

"Of course sweety, don't forget I love you."

"Love you too." I mumbled, fumbling to press the end call button. My eyes were already closing as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

**AN: I am fixing to tear HoN a bit of a new one here. I mean, yeah I like the books but there are a few things that really bother me. First, the thought that every single human hates vampyres. If you've written a history where they've been around for thousands of years, than they should be accepted at least a little. Second, the fact that the Tulsa House is pretty much a theocracy. Hell, vampyre society is kind of a theocracy.**

**Finally, Zoey Redbird is a Mary Sue and I am going to show you all.**

**Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.**


End file.
